Leave all this to yesterday
by Imaginigma
Summary: [Complete] A lonesome figure is standing on the walls of Minas Tirith, thinking, musing, wondering what his future might bring. But, not all is as it seems....Post ROTK


**Title: **_Leave all this to yesterday_

**Rating:** K

**Warning:** None

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them, but I can visit them in Middle-Earth, can't I?

**Summery:** A lonely person is standing on the battlements of the White City, lost in his thoughts, remembering and musing about what his future might bring.

**A/N:** I am following the MC´s line that Legolas and Aragorn have known each other since Aragorn's childhood.

* * *

The night was dark and cold, the wind blowing over the deserted plains and catching in the dry dust and sand, the only things that were left after the devastation that the black shadow of Sauron had unleashed upon the once fruitful and beautiful land.

Burned was the green grass that had glittered in the morning dew, forgotten the colourful flowers that smelled so sweet in the young morning, forever gone the innocence that this country had possessed.

And yet, not all was lost, not all forgotten, not all gone. The White City still stood, the walls tall and strong, the stones cracked but not broken. The night had covered the city with darkness and quietness, but in the morning, the people would wander through the streets, the life busy and the hearts lighter than they had been so few weeks ago.

Soon, Minas Tirith would crown her King. Aye, the King had returned, after so many years.

The King had returned.

A lonely figure stood on the white stone wall, his face directed eastwards, towards the looming mountains, where the evil had lived, the evil that had been banned from this Middle Earth by courage and hope. Hopefully forever.

The wind had caught in his hair, blowing lose strand in his face and eyes, but he did not mind it. He stood tall and strong, like a beacon in a storm and had the stars not blinked down from the sky and the full moon shown so brightly, his figure would have melted with the shadows that surrounded him.

The figure breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled, his chest moving rhythmically. The night smelled so good, so fresh, so alive after the foul breath that had touched and tainted this earth. The clearness of the air made him feel better than he had done since a long time and as he stood there, bathing in the silver light of the stars and the moon, he felt truly refreshed. And alive.

The war had been a long and exhausting one. Every new day had brought more grief and sorrow, so much that in the end he had felt crushed, unable to take more, to survive just one more day.

He had missed his home, the elven city of his childhood, the trees and the river, the meadows and the hills, the flowers and the animals. Many a night he had dreamt of his family, the songs of the elves, the fresh laughter of the elflings and the smiles of the persons he knew so well.

The war had shown him who he truly was, who he was supposed to be and where he was supposed to be, and with whom. The responsibility that he had carried during the Quest, the many decisions that he had been forced to take, the burdens that he had shouldered, it had strengthened him. Made him stronger, faster, fitter…..made him to whom he now was.

Sometimes it was just this. Who he had been before the war and who he was now. He was another person that stood on the wall this night than the person that had set out from Imladris such a long time ago. So long ago.

So many souls had been lost during this time, so many friends were gone, much more than he was able to count. But inside, he remembered every face that he had seen fall under the sharp blades of the orcs, that had been trampled under the legs of the oliphaunts, that had been cut down by an arrow….and every face that he had not been able to save.

And it had been so many.

Around him, his kin had been slaughtered, dying gruesome deaths, their screams betraying the imagination of a quick death, their battered bodies lying wasted on the ground. So many had died, so many that he had not saved.

The figure sighed again. This was not a time for blame. He should be happy instead. Happy that he was still alive, that his friends were alive, that Middle-Earth was still alive.

The grass would be green again one day, the trees would grow, the sky would brighten and the sun would warm the earth and the souls that dwelled under her golden light. Under her light…..and the new King.

The King. In a few days, the King would be crowned.

The tall figure chuckled softly. The "King". Oh, how long had he tried to deny this? That this filthy ranger would be King someday…Of course he had known of his destiny, but now, as the time drew near that this destiny would be fulfilled….It was….strange.

And sad.

What would the future bring for the King of Gondor? Sauron may be defeated, but evil still dwelled in Middle Earth, the borders were unstable, peace a fragile thing. The slightest wind, the tiniest shadow and the war could begin anew, the free people of this very earth fighting against each other.

Oh, he did not want this burden, but he knew that he would carry it, as he had one day sworn he would do. As long as he walked on this earth, he would stand to his word and help and free the land from hardship and pain, suffering and evil.

And he was not alone, his two best friends would stand by his side, and he was grateful for that. For, what was life without friendship? Friendship and brotherhood had carried him through the many battles of his life, had let him climb the highest mountains and survive the deepest falls. Without his friends, he was nothing.

Turning his head southwards, he let the full moon illuminate his pale face. What would the future bring for him?

He longed to be out there, out in the wild, where the trees still stood and the grass feathered under his feet, were the streams were clear and the night dark, not inside this walls of stone. Since his early childhood he had lived under the trees, played and laughed under them. Later he had spent many years travelling in their shadows, had slept in them and used them as shelter and protection.

The sound when the summer´s rain dripped onto the waving leaves, the smell of the flowers that bend under his feet, the soft murmur of the clear streams that slept in their beds and flowed over small stones and down the hills, always running, but never arriving.

He knew that he would miss his travels. It had always made him feel independent and strong. It had been him who had decided where to go, where to stop and where to visit. He had been the master of his life, but now….

And the rangers. Often he had travelled with them, fought their battles, shared their burdens, rejoiced in their company. He would miss the nights under the stars with the men, the friendly banter, the stories.

He had always been someone who wished to be alone, not out of arrogance or grief. No, it was just that he was made that way. When he was alone, he felt good. No one to care for, no one who demanded something from him, be it an advice or….royal duty.

During his travels with the men, he had not been alone. His best friend had been with him, and together they had experienced so many adventures, had walked down so many roads, had shared so many memories.

His time with the rangers, it had been a good time. A time that he wished to remember. And remembering it, he would, he was certain of that. Aye, he would always remember the good times in his life.

The good times.

There was another thing that he would miss greatly, once the "King" was crowned. Once the King would rule in this White City, the time of travels would be over. No more midnight walks under the stars and the moon, no more careless hunting, no more merry fires and adventurous stories under the night sky.

The time of the ranger was over, the time of the King had come. Aye, he would miss it, he already did.

A sad smile flittered over his face and the figure took another deep breath. Oh, how he would miss the time with his best friend. Many years they had been inseparable and only duty had kept them apart. But now, one of them would have to rule a country, the other to set up a colony in Ithilien and be a Lord.

But who knew what the future would bring? Perhaps it would not be as he feared. Perhaps there would still be time to hunt and travel, time to share stories and to laugh together. Ithilien was not so far from Minas Tirith that they could not visit each other from time to time.

Although their past was gone, they would not forget it. The future would bring new memories, new things to experience, new adventures to go through. They would find their way. He would find his way.

They had defeated Sauron, what was there that they could not face?

And maybe, maybe there was only happiness awaiting them.

Because, who knew what the future would bring?

A smile, a true smile formed on his lips and as he lifted his face and looked at the full moon that shown so brightly in the dark sky, he felt free. Freed from the burdens of the war, freed from the stench of battle, hopeful for the future and happy to be alive.

They would go on, as they had always done. There was still so much to do and he knew that together they would revive this country and Middle Earth would be as beautiful as it had once been, before the shadow had darkened the hearts and the blackness had come.

Aye, and he knew that he would find his way. Maybe his old life was gone, maybe he had changed during the war, but, perhaps it was a good change. It felt like one. He would grow with his new responsibilities and one day, one day he would look back at this night and laugh at his worries. He would be a good leader for his people, he had been trained well and with his friends by his side, he would master this new part of his life.

Still smiling, the moon reflecting in his hair and making it shine like spun silk, his figure tall and his shoulders straight, Legolas turned and made his way back to his room.

Aye, all would be well, whatever the future might bring.

_The End._

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